


Right Beside You

by manganeko96



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Medium Burn, Rare Pairings, Unrequited Crush
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-10
Updated: 2019-04-09
Packaged: 2020-01-07 15:37:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18413594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/manganeko96/pseuds/manganeko96
Summary: Kurusu Akira was Mishima Yuuki's dream guy. He was suave, cool, and mysterious (not to mention the leader of the Phantom Thieves!) However, Yuuki's feelings are one sided, and Akira leaves at the end of the year, never revealing his true feelings. As he spends more time with a certain ex-runner, Yuuki may find that his dream guy is not who he was expecting.Takes place before, during, and after the events of the game.





	Right Beside You

Yuuki groaned. How had he gotten himself into this mess? He glanced over at the boisterous blond sitting next to him, feeling the beginnings of a blush warm his cheeks. This wasn’t supposed to happen! Yuuki wanted someone charismatic and suave with just a hint of mystery. He wanted someone who he could rely on, but also was kind. His thoughts strayed to Akira, his first real friend in what seemed like forever. Akira was his ideal, but he was gone.

“Hey Yuuki, what’s got ya feeling down?”

“Just thinking about Akira.”

“What, your old pal Ryuji not enough for ya?” Ryuji asked with a joking grin. “I miss him too, but I’m glad we’ve started hanging out more.”

“Yeah…” Mishima trailed off, turning away from Ryuji, attempting to hide his growing blush. Damn it! Why were these feelings cropping up now? Ryuji was everything Akira wasn’t, and yet he was here.

* * *

As a first year, Yuuki entered Shujin with hopes of joining the volleyball team, making some friends, and leaving his status as a “zero” behind him. The reality was much harsher than he could have prepared for. Any enthusiasm was dashed after his disaster of a first day. He screwed up his introduction (seriously, who messes up their own name?) and was already labeled as a loser. Sure he joined the volleyball team, but Yuuki was debating whether the abuse was really worth it. Two weeks into the year, and his body burned with more pain than he remembered experiencing in his fifteen years of life combined. He rubbed his arm, wincing as he irritated a rather nasty bruise.

“Hey, you’re Mishima, right?”

Yuuki glanced up from his desk, wondering who in his class would approach him after his botched introduction at the beginning of the year.

“Sakamoto-kun? Did you need something?” Yuuki asked softly.

“Well, you’re on the volleyball team, right? I’m a runner myself. Anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to work out sometime? You’re the only one in our class on the team, and I thought mixing up my usual drills might be useful,” Sakamoto explained, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

Yuuki was stunned for a moment. Sakamoto was rumored to be the track team’s newest ace runner. From day one, he enviously admired Sakamoto’s muscular build. What could a scrawny wimp like him have to offer? Realizing he hadn’t yet answered, Yuuki rushed to reply.

“Sure! Yeah! Sounds great!” he blurted before he could think better of it.

Sakamoto’s grin was blinding. “Great! Thanks Mishima! We can work out on weekends if you’re not busy.”

“Um… Yeah! I don’t have any plans!” Yuuki winced at his rather unimpressive admittance. He just had to say it himself. God, no wonder no one wanted to spend time with him.

“Cool! Meet me by the field Saturday after classes.” Sakamoto pat him on the shoulder and returned to his seat. Yuuki sat there in shock, still trying to process what just happened.

* * *

 

“Hey! You showed up!” Sakamoto was already stretching. He grinned at Yuuki, gesturing to the spot beside him. “Let's warm up before running.”

“Right,” Yuuki agreed softly. He set his bag down and started stretching beside Sakamoto. Ever so often, Yuuki would glance at the other boy, only to look away quickly, blush adorning his face. It wasn't fair! Why did Sakamoto have to be attractive?

“Alright, we don't want to push ourselves too much, so I'll try to keep pace with you. Only a short run, 5km.”

Yuuki nodded, internally cursing. How was 5km a short run? “Whatever sounds good to you, Sakamoto-kun.”

“C'mon, just call me Ryuji. We're friends, aren't we?”

“I guess… Ryuji, then.” The two took off running, Yuuki doing his best to keep up with Ryuji.

* * *

“That was brutal,” Yuuki groaned. He was collapsed against the wall, completely exhausted.

“Heh, I forget that not everyone is a distance runner like me,” Ryuji replied, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. “Still that was a good workout!”

Yuuki looked up at the other boy. He stared at Ryuji as he rubbed his dark hair with a towel. “Yeah… I guess it was.”

“Nice, same time next weekend?” Ryuji asked, smiling at him again.

“If you really want me to…”

“Of course I do, Mishima! You're the first person to actually agree to practice on weekends with me.”

Yuuki smiled awkwardly. Ryuji was a good guy. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

Over the next few months, things were great. Yuuki was steadily getting better at volleyball, and his friendship with Ryuji helped him gain a bit of confidence. Of course things had to go me crashing down. Nothing good ever lasted around him.

“Did you hear about Sakamoto? He punched Kamoshida-sensei.”

“I heard his father used to hit him and his mother. Violence must run in the family.”

“The track team was disbanded because of him. The team says he's a traitor.”

“He's stuck in the hospital with a broken leg. Serves the punk right.”

Whispers echoed in the halls. Yuuki was crushed. He was torn between sticking up for his friend and avoiding Kamoshida's wrath. In the end, he was too much of a coward to do anything.

When Ryuji finally returned to school, his hair was bleached blond, and he was acting like the punk people accused him of being. Yuuki's weekend meetups we're finished, and he lost the only friend he had. Catching Ryuji's eye, Yuuki looked away, ashamed of his actions. Maybe he never deserved Sakamoto's friendship.


End file.
